Air New Zealand Air Points - Immigration time NZ6

Hi,

i am travelling on NZ6 to LAX and want to book a domestic US flight. NZ6 arrives at 10.15 AM - how much time should I allot to clear immigration, fetch my bags and clear customs?

Thanks!

wgtn


PS: As this is part of a RTW with 2 piece luggage allowance - any suggestions on where to leave a bag at LAX to avoid the extra fee on domestic flights?

Hi

Are you flying BP or PE? If so, it should take about half an hour or less. If flying Y, it will take longer depending if you are seated forward or rear of Y.

The wait for luggage can take awhile.

NZ6 is great in that it is the first international arrival of the day.

I don’t think there is a left luggage facility at LAX for security reasons

Welcome to Flyer Talk.
From the front of the plane I find the wait is always for baggage not for immigration. Often everyone has cleared immigration before my bags arrive. Still I recommend 2 hours for your connection, if you can allow it, in case of late arrival or a long wait for baggage.
Recently I found American waived the baggage fee on a US domestic as I was connecting from International in LAX (tags were still on the bag).

PS: As this is part of a RTW with 2 piece luggage allowance - any suggestions on where to leave a bag at LAX to avoid the extra fee on domestic flights?

If all on same ticket then you shouldn't need to pay baggage fees.

To maybe clarify, MrSydney and WLGNZ are probably both right. MrSydney answers the specific question to clear immigration, and WLGNZ refers to the connection time. i.e. It will probably take as long to get clear of NZ6 inbound as it will to get to another LAX terminal and clear security for the domestic outbound.

And that's without the detour to drop a bag somewhere ...

And welcome to FT WGTN.

To maybe clarify, MrSydney and WLGNZ are probably both right. MrSydney answers the specific question to clear immigration, and WLGNZ refers to the connection time. i.e. It will probably take as long to get clear of NZ6 inbound as it will to get to another LAX terminal and clear security for the domestic outbound.

And that's without the detour to drop a bag somewhere ...

And welcome to FT WGTN.

Thanks everyone. The domestic flights will be on a separate ticket, simply cheaper than using RTW milage for it. However, I think paying an extra 25-30$ per leg will turn out to be less expensive than storing the bag somewhere (minus the hassle as well).

I need to make it all the way to the east, the latest flight to get me there on the same day (11.45 pm, still) leaves at 3.10 PM. Obviously I would prefer an earlier flight (1.10 PM would be an option) but might just play this one safe.

I need to make it all the way to the east, the latest flight to get me there on the same day (11.45 pm, still) leaves at 3.10 PM. Obviously I would prefer an earlier flight (1.10 PM would be an option) but might just play this one safe.

From a 10:15am arrival into LAX I would have no hesitation in going for a 1:10pm domestic departure. By my own choice I have made many tighter connections through LAX (e.g. earlier this year caught 11:50am Delta flight off 10:15am NZ6 arrival).
Safe Flying. WLGNZ.

Leaning towards that too - the 3.15 PM includes a 35min layover in DEN with 70% on time rate :eek:

Of course, according to Murphy, I already see a random tsa screening coming up for me ;)

I catch this flight regularly. As others have said you should clear immigration before bags arrive. 2-2.5 hours on the ground should be safe to connect.

Welcome to FlyerTalk WGTN (and specialk23) :)

My experience in taking this flight a number of times, the time to clear immigration and customs at LAX has ranged from 15 minutes to over 90 minutes. Almost always I've been in business class or the front of economy, walking very fast to immigration and I don't check bags.

While 1:10 departure is doable it is by no means guaranteed. You'd need things to go well on arrival, online checkin and reasonable security queues in your departing terminal to make the flight. I wouldn't risk it on separate tickets, particularly if there is a later flight.

me again WGTN

I agree withKiwiflyers coments. I was flying NZ6 last Xmas and there was were a variety of maint problems and we we left AKL 1 1/2 late.

Would err on the side of caution and get the later flight.

Oh and welcome aboard FT

Make sure you let us know how you go.

BTW. I will be on NZ6 at Xmas.

Will let you know what happens. Might visit a friend on the West Coast instead an take an easy flight the following day. The only other flight after 1:10 PM is the mentioned 3.15 via DEN, which I'd rather avoid with the short layover and weather in December.

Yes, I would be very leery of weather in DEN that time of year - that's all you need is a long weather delay to muck up your plans!

I usually stay overnight in LA with relatives and it completely avoids the connection stress - I don't know how many times I've chatted with pax on US or UA who were anxiously praying they'd make their connection in LAX, and that was only from a short flight originating in PHX!

From a 10:15am arrival into LAX I would have no hesitation in going for a 1:10pm domestic departure. By my own choice I have made many tighter connections through LAX (e.g. earlier this year caught 11:50am Delta flight off 10:15am NZ6 arrival).
Safe Flying. WLGNZ.

While this has worked for you I would not recommend this to anyone on 2 tickets. At bad times it has taken me 2 hours to get out of the terminal never mind walking to another terminal. 3 hours is still a short connection at LAX IMHO.

While this has worked for you I would not recommend this to anyone on 2 tickets. At bad times it has taken me 2 hours to get out of the terminal never mind walking to another terminal. 3 hours is still a short connection at LAX IMHO.

Coming off NZ6 at terminal 2? Usually it is pretty good with not a lot of other arrivals around the time it gets in. Off NZ6 I have never experienced a delay of 2 hours.

me again WGTN

I agree withKiwiflyers coments. I was flying NZ6 last Xmas and there was were a variety of maint problems and we we left AKL 1 1/2 late.

Would err on the side of caution and get the later flight.

Oh and welcome aboard FT

Make sure you let us know how you go.



Agreed!

As you are booking on seperate tickets I would always allow at least 3 1/2 hours at LAX as a MINIMUM.

I am on NZ6 very soon and have a United Flight out at 14:40

10:15 to 14:40 is nearly 4 1/2 hours which while being quite a while the earlier flight at 12:50 is too close for my liking.

If it was on the same ticket I wouldn't care, but as my domestic flight is booked separately I don't' want to risk missing it.

If I had to change/re-book a new ticket for the domestic flight at late notice it would cost several hundreds of dollars per person, which isn't covered by my travel insurance as it's not a connecting flight.

So the 1:10 flight is too early
Take the 3:30 flight and relax!

As you are booking on seperate tickets I would always allow at least 3 1/2 hours at LAX as a MINIMUM.
If I had to change/re-book a new ticket for the domestic flight at late notice it would cost several hundreds of dollars per person, which isn't covered by my travel insurance as it's not a connecting flight

Sorry but I really have to disagree with this. In terminal 2 at LAX, arriving off NZ6 at 10:15am, a 2 hour connection is in my opinion reliable. I would love to hear from anybody coming off this flight who has missed a 2 hour connection in LAX.
It may be true for other flights, at other times, in other terminals (perhaps TBIT), that this amount of time may not be enough.
Also my travel insurance would cover the miss-connect mentioned above.
Safe Travel. WLGNZ.

IF you leave NZ on time then you would probably get away with it, but any small delay and you are stuffed.

IF it was a connecting flight on the same ticket I couldn't' care if it's a 1 hour connection as UA can deal with it if I miss it.

However, I don't book connecting tickets as they haven't suited my needs

As a result I have to wear the costs of any changes to onward flights etc

Also my travel insurance does not cover flights that are not connecting.

Therefore back to 3 1/2 hours min :)

Sorry but I really have to disagree with this. In terminal 2 at LAX, arriving off NZ6 at 10:15am, a 2 hour connection is in my opinion reliable. I would love to hear from anybody coming off this flight who has missed a 2 hour connection in LAX.
It may be true for other flights, at other times, in other terminals (perhaps TBIT), that this amount of time may not be enough.
Also my travel insurance would cover the miss-connect mentioned above.
Safe Travel. WLGNZ.

I have never missed a connection but I have been more than an hour late on NZ6 in the past so I would never try 2 hours on separate tickets. So I am with AndDee on this one.

Sorry but I really have to disagree with this. In terminal 2 at LAX, arriving off NZ6 at 10:15am, a 2 hour connection is in my opinion reliable. I would love to hear from anybody coming off this flight who has missed a 2 hour connection in LAX.
It may be true for other flights, at other times, in other terminals (perhaps TBIT), that this amount of time may not be enough.
Also my travel insurance would cover the miss-connect mentioned above.
Safe Travel. WLGNZ.

Well I have missed connecting flight from NZ6 with more than 2 hour scheduled transit time. This was on same ticket so I was protected.

Kind of unrelated Question, but can AirNZ check my bags all the way through to my final destination in the US if I book LAX-Wherever on a separate Ticket? I know they cant issue a boarding pass and I have to take my bags through customs.
I've done it a couple of times with separate Tickets but on the same Airline and not through the US. Any advice on this? Would it help if the extra ticket was a *A carrier (I dont think AirNZ has codeshares to where I'm headed).

Cheers!

If LAX-wherever is *A (ie UA, US, CO, AC, LH, LX, SQ or NH) then should be able to through check your bags provided the connection isn't too small. If it is 3+ hours there should be no issue.

Ok, thanks Kiwi Flyer. Can I assume to catch a break from the domestic baggage fees that way or should I pre-purchase to avoid problems?

Recently, on seperate tickets, when checking in with the American Airlines handlers for Midwest, they did not charge me the domestic US baggage charge when they saw my NZ6 baggage tag still on the bag. They mentioned they do not charge the baggage fee for passengers connecting off International. Don't know if this is policy or lucky break with helpful check-in staff.

I decided to stay on the West Coast for the day with a UA connection around 4 PM. Will let you know how things turn out.

Just got into LAX yesterday on NZ6 and walked right up to Immigration with only a few people in front of me - took longer to get the suitcase, even with priority tag. Then breezed through Customs with no queue at all.

I think we landed about 30 min early, however, and as long as you're not stuck behind a TACA or Air France flight, I find it pretty painless.

I took a connecting 1340hrs flight on Southwest, but could have easily made the 1150hrs flight. By the time I boarded, I heard of others talking about a 100+ minute delay in the security lines, so it would make a difference if flying in F on US or Biz Select on WN.

It get's better

WASHINGTON – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced today the launch of a pilot program to automate the arrival/departure form (CBP Form I-94W) for Visa Waiver Program (VWP) travelers from Auckland, New Zealand to Los Angeles International Airport. The pilot will support the automation of the paper I-94W form for visitors to the United States who travel under the VWP with an approved travel authorization via the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA).

The pilot program will be tested on Air New Zealand Flight 6 starting Thursday, November 12 and will last 30 days. Passengers traveling on this flight with an approved ESTA will not need to fill out the paper I-94W form. CBP will evaluate the success of the pilot program and consider expanding the pilot program to additional Air New Zealand flights to Los Angeles during the testing period.

“CBP has received more than13 million ESTA applications from nationals of VWP countries and compliance continues to grow daily,” said CBP Acting Commissioner Jayson Ahern. “With the Form I-94W Automation Pilot Program, we are facilitating the travel and entry process for our VWP visitors from New Zealand and for VWP travelers arriving from other countries in the near future.”

Air New Zealand, with the support of the government of New Zealand, volunteered to test the process using their flights into Los Angeles. Air New Zealand Flight 6 was selected because it arrives as a stand-alone flight and will create less confusion for travelers.

Congress required through the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 that DHS develop and implement an automated system to determine, in advance of travel, the eligibility of visitors to travel to the U.S. under the VWP, and whether such travel poses a law enforcement or security risk.

ESTA became mandatory on January 12 for all nationals of VWP countries prior to boarding a carrier to travel by air or sea to the United States under the VWP. VWP travelers need to receive an ESTA approval prior to departing for the United States. This requirement does not affect U.S. citizens returning from overseas or citizens of VWP countries traveling on a valid U.S. visa.

The U.S. VWP currently enables the nationals of 35 countries to travel to the United States for tourism or business for stays up to 90 days without obtaining a visa. VWP travelers currently complete a written I-94W form providing basic biographical, travel, and eligibility information while en route to the United States. VWP travelers now provide this information online prior to departure for the United States with ESTA as well.

ESTA applications may be submitted at any time prior to travel, and once approved, generally will be valid for up to two years or until the applicant’s passport expires, whichever comes first. Authorizations will be valid for multiple entries into the U.S. CBP recommends ESTA applications be submitted as soon as an applicant begins making travel plans.